AZTECS HAVE PLENTY LEFT IN RESERVE

Fisher says his current bench is the best he’s had at SDSU

No. 6 Aztecs at New Mexico

Saturday: 7 p.m., The Pit

On the air: ESPN2; 105.7-FM, 1090-AM

No one expected the San Diego State men’s basketball team to be No. 6 in the country at the end of February. After the losses of Chase Tapley and Jamaal Franklin, the 2013-14 season was supposed to be the Aztecs’ rebuilding year.

Consider them rebuilt. This time, however, the template for success is a little different.

Sure, SDSU once again features two standouts. Senior point guard Xavier Thames is averaging 17.2 points per game and is on the Naismith Award watch list. Sophomore forward Winston Shepard has blossomed from a key sub into a key cog, and he’s second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game.

But for the Aztecs this season, the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.

Reserves such as Matt Shrigley, Dwayne Polee and Aqeel Quinn have come off the bench to spark the Aztecs to some significant wins in recent weeks and will likely factor greatly into the game plan as SDSU (23-2, 12-1 Mountain West) travels to Albuquerque to face second-place New Mexico (20-5, 11-2) on Saturday.

“This is the best one through 11 that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said SDSU coach Steve Fisher, who’s in his 15th year at the school. “We don’t have as many (situations where) one guy breaks down and all of a sudden it creates problems for the team. I think we’re better as a group.”

Therein lies the Aztecs’ biggest weapon: depth.

“We’ve always had good benches, but as coaches, this year more than ever, we’ve trusted in our bench,” said Brian Dutcher, Fisher’s top assistant. “We’ve thrown them in tough situations early in the year, so now that we’re at this point of the season, we know what to expect of them. … We know they’re capable of performing at a high level, and we’re not as fearful to go to them in a big game.”

The Aztecs’ bench has risen to meet the coaches’ expectations, and the results have been impressive.

Against Utah State, Shrigley knocking down four 3-pointers to help SDSU run away with a win.

Polee has become a fan favorite as the team’s sixth man. He sparked the Aztecs against Air Force, led them in scoring at Wyoming and in steals against Nevada, and swished the game-winning 3-pointer against Boise State.

Quinn, a versatile guard who spells Thames when needed, earned his first SDSU start against Colorado State when starter Josh Davis had to sit out with a knee injury.

That bench trio has combined to score 416 points this season — roughly 23 percent of the Aztecs’ total offensive output.

James Johnson (who also saw significant time while Davis was injured) and Dakarai Allen (a freshman who’s averaging 11.5 minutes) round out the list of 10 players who are averaging double digits in minutes this season.

That depth gives Fisher flexibility with his rotation and ensures that he always has fresh legs on the floor.